Penguins/Devils Recap: Malkin and Crosby team up to down New Jersey

It’s Malkin early and Crosby late for the Penguins to take a 4-2 win in New Jersey

Pregame

It’s a new look lineup for the Penguins in many ways with players shuttling in and out due to injuries.

The Devils roll out with the following groups, with interestingly enough 1B/backup goalie Jake Allen getting the call in net.

First period

Seconds into the game for reasons only known to him, Connor Timmins makes one of the dumbest pinch attempts at the blueline that you will ever see. If you can even see it, being as he takes himself so far out of the play. The Devils jump out the other way and Erik Haula is haulin’ serious ass up the ice. He beats Jarry on the first shot, but what can ya do as a goalie on this?

Pittsburgh is on the ropes early, Kevin Hayes has to take the first penalty of the game to try and slow New Jersey down. The Devils get zone time but the Pens escape the power play. They don’t get out completely though, seconds after the penalty expires Cody Glass’s shot clicks off Ondrej Palat and jumps into the net. 2-0 NJD.

Jarry makes a big save a little later to keep it at 2-0. Evgeni Malkin gets taken down and the Penguins get their first power play. It’s not that great but seconds after it ends they also get a goal. Malkin jams the puck over Allen’s leg, Luke Hughes can’t rescue it from danger and pretty much drags it into his own net. Very strange there. 2-1.

All things considered, the Penguins are probably lucky to only be one shot away from tying the game after 20 minutes. Not a great period for them.

Second period

The Pens get another power play early and this time they score four seconds into it. Malkin unleashes a big shot, the rebound bounces off of Valtteri Puustinen and into the net. 2-2 game. Fortunate bounce, second one of the game that Malkin’s been involved in. Funny how the best players always tend to make the best luck too, isn’t it?

Matt Grzlecyk takes a Devil down, so NJ gets back to a power play of their own. Pittsburgh kills it off.

Timmins’ no good night continues with a tripping penalty of his own once the puck and player got behind him but his teammates rise to the occasion again with another successful PK.

Bryan Rust gets his stick slashed out of his hands in the last sequence of play to send Pittsburgh to a power play at the start of the third period.

Despite the early goal, nothing in the last almost 19 minutes of the second. Tie 2-2 game.

Third period

The Pens don’t score on the power play. Malkin nearly banks a puck in off the back of the goalie from behind the goal line but for once it doesn’t go his way.

Cody Glass high-sticked his former teammate and the Pens got another power play. Bryan Rust worked the puck down to Sidney Crosby on one knee at the front of the net and you already know the ending. 3-2 Pens.

Rust and Crosby combined to salt the game away with an empty netter, this time via a slick pass from the captain to set Rust up for the open look. 4-2.

Some thoughts

• As mentioned in the preview, the Devils had reason to be mad and focused after scuffing things up in their last game to the tune of losing 7-2 to suddenly lowly Boston. That passed the smell check right from the bat NJ was buzzin’ big time. They were up 2-0 by the time the game was six minutes old and it felt like this one was about to rock out of control, maybe to one of those big blowout losses for the Pens. Pittsburgh was able to get steady and found a way to keep going, fortunately for them the Devs’ hot start melted away just about as quick as it began.
• And while Jarry gave up another first shot goal, not an honest soul and criticize him too much on that one. Looking back in retrospect, Jarry made a sick save when it was 2-0 in the first period. If that goal goes in, the rout might have been on for NJ to skate away with an easy one. But Jarry stopped it and everything else after the first six minutes. Stuff like that will get lost in the shuffle, but that’s playing to give the team a chance. Early in the season (or even a couple weeks ago) Jarry had plenty of games where he wasn’t making that save very often to keep the team somewhat close. These days, he’s making them more frequently.
• Erik Haula only has three goals in 23 career games against the Penguins, I looked it up. Felt like a lot more. Haula was involved in the collision that jammed up Crosby’s wrist earlier in the season against the Pens, so maybe it’s just one of those things where he’s very active and noticeable in games against Pittsburgh in one way or another.
• Still can’t get over how dumb the decision by Timmins was at the very start of the game. That’s not a result of being on the left side, or of coaching, that’s just a terrible read and decision. It’s one play and defense is a game of mistakes but my goodness. The reputation on Timmins coming in was that he will make some costly boneheaded plays now and then, he’s certainly lived up (down?) to that.
• Speaking of defenders making mistakes, Luke Hughes isn’t going to have the Malkin goal on his personal highlight reel. Very easy to Monday Morning QB it from slow motion but he’s gotta just smack that puck forward. That in mind, gotta give Malkin a sly tip of the cap too — he wasn’t trying to power the puck through the goalie, he put a little lift and touch on it to get it up above the skate/pad area and put it in danger.
• Nice to see Puustinen get a goal in his first NHL game since November 15th. Nothing fancy but going to the goal generates rewards sometimes. Puustinen is signed for next year but is sort of in a no man’s land as far as role and expectations go. Does he play 10 NHL games next year? More? Less? It’ll be interesting to see if he gets the chance to find his way into a place with the squad next year after getting shuffled over for most of this one.
• Malkin with points on the first two, he was probably the Pens’ best or at least most standout performer early. Then with it close at the end, Crosby stepped up and does what he does to nail down the GWG and grab another point on a slick pass on the ENG. Pittsburgh’s older players remain formidable even at the end of the season.

The Pens get back at it with a home afternoon game on Sunday against the Bruins.